BRITAIN’S biggest whooping cough outbreak in more than 20 years is continuing to spread, with over 1,000 new cases last month, experts have revealed.

The illness claimed no lives last month, meaning the death toll from the outbreak remains the 13 babies under the age of two months who have died since the start of the year.

Figures from the Health Protection Agency show that there were 1,080 confirmed cases reported for England and Wales.

But that was a decrease on October when 1,631 cases were reported.

This is the first dip in monthly numbers since the current outbreak began in the middle of 2011.

However, experts warned that a decrease in cases is usual at this time of year – so this does not necessarily represent the end of this severe outbreak.

Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, consultant epidemiologist for immunisation at the HPA, said: “The November figures show a welcome decrease of whooping cough cases since October.

“However, it is very important to note that we usually see a reduction in cases of whooping cough at this time of year so this decrease is in line with normal seasonal patterns.”

At the end of September, the Department of Health announced that pregnant women would be offered a whooping cough vaccination to protect their newborn babies, who are not usually inoculated against whooping cough until they are two months old.

The aim of the vaccination programme is to help to boost the short-term immunity passed on by women to their babies while they are still in the womb.

It is too soon for this vaccination campaign to have had an impact on the case numbers so far but the Department of Health recently reported an uptake of around 40 per cent in pregnant women.

Whooping cough, which is also known as pertussis, affects all ages. Young infants are at the highest risk of severe complications and death from whooping cough as babies do not complete the vaccination programme until they are around four months old.

The November figures show a welcome decrease of whooping cough cases since October

Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, consultant epidemiologist for immunisation at the HPA

In older children and adults whooping cough can be unpleasant but it does not usually lead to serious complications.

The illness is a highly infectious bacterial disease which spreads when a person with the infection coughs and the bacteria is inhaled by another person.

Dr Amirthalingam said: “At least 40 per cent of pregnant women received the whooping cough vaccine in the first month of the programme is very encouraging.

“We would like to remind pregnant women how serious this infection can be in young babies and how it can in some cases cause death.” He added: “Vaccination between 28 and 38 weeks of pregnancy should offer babies the best protection against whooping cough before they receive their own vaccines.

“As well as this, parents should ensure their children are vaccinated against whooping cough on time, even babies of women who have had the vaccine in pregnancy – this is to continue their baby’s protection through childhood.

“Parents should also be alert to the signs and symptoms of whooping cough, which include severe coughing fits accompanied by the characteristic “whoop” sound in young children, but as a prolonged cough in older children or adults.”